Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol.63/No.38 i Beijing Review

The start of the fall semester as scheduled in late August and September, with schools across China reopening and students resuming normal study in classrooms on campus, is the latest sign of the success in containing the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country. September 7 marked 23 consecutive days of zero locally transmitted cases in China. Work and production resumption progressed steadily, paving the way for resuming normal campus education in autumn. However, since the pandemic is still spreading in many parts of the world, it has created severe pressure to prevent infected arrivals from abroad. Also, medical experts have warned that the risk of a resurgence remains high in fall and winter, which is also the flu season. So the education sector faces the pressing task of ensuring…

In October 1945, after the world achieved victory in the Anti-Fascist War, to avoid another such disaster, the major countries proposed to establish the UN. Over the following decades, the organization has played an irreplaceable role in maintaining peace, promoting development, protecting human rights and boosting international exchange. It has also safeguarded justice and enhanced understanding among different countries. Broadly speaking, it has fulfilled the founding mission of being the coordination center of member countries. Mandate fulfilled Compared with the League of Nations, the first worldwide intergovernmental organization that was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1946, the UN is far bigger, now with 193 members. It is composed of six major institutions, including the General Assembly and the Security Council, and dozens of funds and special organizations, with over…

After two years of investigation, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) announced at the end of August that it would not enforce a ban on drones of Da Jiang Innovations (DJI), a Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) maker, marking a victory for the company in a patent infringement suit. The investigation aimed at preventing intellectual property right infringement of U.S. products and unfair competition in imports. Based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province in south China, DJI, established in 2006, has become the world’s largest drone maker. Since demand for drones is increasing in multiple fields including light shows for entertainment, agriculture, logistics and infrastructure engineering, DJI has expanded its consumer base from individual users to industrial enterprises. Its products have been used for monitoring the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral…

When young American scholar Ezra Vogel winded up his stay in Japan, where he had been studying Japanese and doing post-doctoral research on modern Japanese society, and returned to Harvard University in 1960, he didn’t foresee that six decades later, his expanded research would see him become part of a new chapter. After his return to the U.S., Vogel began to research Chinese history, society and economy, learn Chinese and interact with the Chinese. His thoughts on China from those days are now part of a project commemorating 40 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S. on January 1, 2019. 40 on 40: An Interview Series Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of China-U.S. Diplomatic Normalization was compiled by Shanghai-based Fudan University’s Center for American Studies and…

PEOPLE’S HERO TITLES AWARDED Zhang Dingyu, a 56-year-old doctor, became one of the three recipients of the national honorary title, the People’s Hero, on September 8 for his outstanding contributions to the fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). At a ceremony for medical professionals at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, President Xi Jinping awarded four medical workers including Zhang for their outstanding achievement during the fight against COVID-19. Zhang heads the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, one of the major battlefields during the epidemic. He and his colleagues have treated and saved more than 2,800 COVID-19 patients, many of whom were critically ill. “I never thought about being a hero. Everyone has made sacrifices and contributions. I’m just one of them,” he said. However, his contribution stands out.…

With the return of students to in-person classes after the abatement of the novel coronavirus disease outbreak and summer vacation, K-12 after-school tutoring services have also seen a revival after more than half a year. While students file into their afterschool classes, all virus prevention measures are required—masks, 1-meter distance lines, contact-free hand washing equipment—the same as those in regular schools. After decades of development, afterschool tutoring services have become a large industry in China. Sprouting in the 1980s, the industry has entered a stage of rapid growth since the 1990s, becoming an important choice for many parents and students. In 2019, the market scale of this industry was over 700 billion yuan ($102.4 billion), with offline education dominating the market at over 95 percent, according to iResearch, a leading…

Born in Wuhan in central China in 1947, Professor Hsiang-te Kung is a 75th-generation descendant of Confucius. Shortly after he was born, his father left for Taiwan to help revive the sugar industries abandoned following Japan’s defeat in World War II. He and his mother and brothers followed soon after. Changes in relations across the Taiwan Straits subsequently made it impractical for him to return to the mainland. In 1969, he left Taiwan for doctoral studies in the U.S., eventually settling as a professor of geography at the University of Memphis (UM) in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1986, with China’s accelerating reform and opening up, he first visited East China Normal University in Shanghai, and then traveled onward to Wuhan, looking for opportunities for cultural and educational exchanges while reconnecting with…

As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tapers off in China and pentup consumption demand gradually unleashes, economic recovery in the second half of the year will gain more momentum. China’s national Consumer Confidence Index led 24 countries surveyed including the U.S., India and Brazil in August by rebounding to 72.9 points, becoming the only economy to show a gain from January, the world’s leading market research company Ipsos reported recently. The Consumer Confidence Index, which reflects customers’ outlook of economic situations, income level and purchasing sentiment, is a leading indicator for predicting economic trends and consumption tendency. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics echoed the trends. China’s retail sales of consumer goods rose by 0.85 percent month on month in July, a moderate increase from 0.83 percent in June,…

According to a recent online survey on socializing by Guangming Daily, of the 2,532 people polled, 97 percent reported that they often try to duck socializing in person and are actually afraid of it, claiming that they find it embarrassing to interact with others face-to-face. This is widely seen as a social phobia, as a growing number of young people are increasingly dependent on social media platforms like WeChat for socializing and are slipping deeper and deeper into a cyberspace life. On the one hand, some believe social media helps the young connect with others, so that they don’t feel lonely, thus messaging apps are spurring them to socialize. On the other hand, others say that overdependence on social media is discouraging young people from seeking face-to-face communication. Irreplaceable face-to-face…

As China has gradually contained the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), things are almost back to normal. In Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in south China, the use of a mini-program, known as Suikang Code, has made it easier to move around through public transport, go shopping, or enter public places including hospitals. Just with a simple scan of the Suikang QR code, I had already opened another door for myself making my movement around Guangzhou extremely convenient. As a foreigner living in Guangzhou, I was caught off guard when I returned from my travels late February. I was trying to enter my residential neighborhood, but I was stopped by the guards at the gate and was referred to a different office where I had to get registered. Then I…

From the Caoqiao Subway Station in southwest Beijing, it takes only 20 minutes to get to the Beijing Daxing International Airport, which is located in the junction between Daxing District and Hebei Province. With this new state-of-the-art airport, which is part of the China (Hebei) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), the FTZ has become the latest test field for opening up in north China. According to Shen Jianmin, head of office for the Daxing Airport Area, with its unique advantages, including a comprehensive bonded zone, and Beijing’s policy support for opening up the service sector, the FTZ has greater space for policy innovation in developing industries and attracting talents. “It can become an integrated innovation highland for reform and development,” Shen told People’s Daily. On August 26, 2019, the State…

($1=6.9 yuan) China’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) Growth (%) China’s CPI Growth by Type August (% y.o.y.) China’s Producer Price Index Growth (%) (Source: National Bureau of Statistics) China’s bulk commodity market saw slower growth in August compared with July. The China Bulk Merchandise Index, a gauge of domestic bulk commodity market growth, stood above the boom-or-bust line of 100 at 102.5 in August, but down from 104.8 in July. Hainan Province in south China saw the establishment of more than 162,000 new market entities in the first eight months of this year, up 19.8 percent year on year. In recent years, it has taken a series of measures to optimize its business environment. China’s box-office sales reached 3.39 billion yuan ($495.6 million) in August, bringing the total box office…